{"id":499,"date":"2016-09-09T13:21:47","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T18:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=499"},"modified":"2016-09-09T13:21:47","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T18:21:47","slug":"bojan-bogdanovic-primed-breakout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/09\/09\/bojan-bogdanovic-primed-breakout\/","title":{"rendered":"Bojan Bogdanovi\u0107 is Primed for a Breakout"},"content":{"rendered":"

B<\/strong>ojan Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong> is not to be mistaken for Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong>. Both men hail from the former Yugoslavia and both are talented basketball players. Both men represented their respective countries in the recently concluded 2016 Rio Olympics<\/strong><\/a>. Bojan Bogdanovi\u0107 played for Croatia<\/strong>, while Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107 played for Serbia<\/strong>. Both men played very well, but for the sake of this piece,\u00a0Bojan\u00a0Bogdanovi\u0107 is the focus.<\/p>\n

Bojan Bogdanovi\u0107 has been a member of the Brooklyn Nets<\/strong><\/a> since the start of the 2014-15 season. As a rookie, he was honored as a member of the NBA All-Rookie Second<\/strong>\u00a0Team<\/strong> for his solid\u00a0play. Though he played behind\u00a0Joe Johnson<\/a><\/strong> and Sergey Karasev<\/a><\/strong> on the wing, Bogdanovi\u0107 found a way to contribute when called upon. Prepare for Bogdanovi\u0107 to have a breakout\u00a0season, as his career\u00a0trajectory points to it.<\/p>\n

Bojan Bogdanovi\u0107 is Primed for a Breakout<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At First, He Crawled<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bogdanovi\u0107 started 19 games for the Brooklyn\u00a0Nets<\/strong> during his rookie season. As with most rookies, he struggled with consistency, but he managed to play in 79\u00a0of the 82\u00a0games. His stats\u00a0were not spectacular, averaging just about nine points and three\u00a0rebounds per contest. With that said, Bogdanovi\u0107 was not afraid of big moments. In the last game of the 2014-15 season, with a playoff berth on the line, Bogdanovi\u0107 delivered. He\u00a0caught fire, delivering 28 points, three\u00a0rebounds, and two assists in 34 minutes against the Orlando Magic<\/strong>. In this game, he\u00a0attempted 17 field goals, converting on\u00a012 of them. He shot\u00a0four of\u00a0eight\u00a0from behind the arc in that game. Though the Nets were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks<\/strong> in a six-game first round series that year, Bogdanovi\u0107 made his presence felt. In games three and four, Bogdanovi\u0107 scored 19 and 15 points, respectively. The\u00a0Nets won both games, as well.<\/p>\n

Then, He Walked<\/strong><\/h3>\n

During Bojan’s second season, his\u00a0development was evident. He played with much more confidence, and though the Nets had a very trying season, Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0had his moments. Against the hapless Philadelphia 76ers<\/strong>, Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0scored 44 points on\u00a027 shots. He played 37 minutes that night. Two nights later, Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0scored 26 points versus the Chicago Bulls<\/strong>\u00a0— in Chicago. He finished last season with\u00a0averages of 11.2 points and 3.2\u00a0rebounds\u00a0per game.<\/p>\n

It’s Money Time as Bojan Runs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Moving forward, it is clear that Bojan\u2019s trajectory is headed upward. This is his third season, and a\u00a0contract year for Bogdanovi\u0107. The numbers bear it out. If Bogdanovi\u0107 is a primary option in the team\u2019s offensive scheme, he will deliver more times than not. Looking at his stats, one would notice that Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0averaged 20.4 points and about\u00a0six\u00a0rebounds per 100 possessions. He has shot 37 percent from behind the arc over the course of\u00a0his career.<\/p>\n

Nets Brought in the Big\u00a0Guns<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0averaged 25 points per game for his native Croatia during Rio 2016, leaving Nets fans encouraged. With the appointment of Kenny Atkinson<\/strong> as Brooklyn’s head coach, one should expect Bogdanovi\u0107’s improvement to continue. Atkinson chose\u00a0Chris Flemming<\/strong> as an assistant and offensive coach. Flemming\u2019s system is based loosely on the pace-and-space concept. The system is ran\u00a0with one player in the post. This style appears perfectly suited for Bogdanovi\u0107. The Nets also hired Adam Harrington<\/a><\/strong>, as per David Aldridge<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0of TNT<\/strong> and NBA.com<\/strong>. Harrington was Kevin Durant<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s shooting coach in\u00a0Oklahoma City. Harrington is credited for the development of\u00a0Dirk Nowitzki<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s patented one legged fadeaway jumper. Flemming and Harrington played and coached in Europe for many years, which should aid\u00a0Bogdanovi\u0107\u00a0immensely. Additionally, Nets assistant general manager\u00a0Trajan Langdon<\/a><\/strong> was a supremo in Europe and is a shooting savant. For Bogdanovi\u0107, help is literally right down the hall.<\/p>\n

The Present and Future of\u00a0Bogdanovi\u0107<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cSometimes the greatest ability is availability,\u201d former\u00a0NFL<\/strong>\u00a0head coach\u00a0Tony Dungy<\/strong> once said. Bogdanovi\u0107 missed just five games in his first two seasons; he is always available. He showed time and again that he is willing to\u00a0work hard. With a massive\u00a0re-build\u00a0taking place in Brooklyn, expect the Nets to lean on Bogdanovi\u0107 next season more than before. All signs point to him having\u00a0a breakout season, so fans and players alike should expect it.<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n